10 Worst Countries For Travel and Tourist Development

The World Economic forum has recently released the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report for 2013. The ranking marks 140 countries from best to worst places to develop the tourism sector.

Switzerland leads the pack at number one, with Germany and Austria coming in second and third respectively. The United States places sixth on the list and Singapore comes in at number ten. But what about the worst countries for travel development? Here are the top ten. Unsurprisingly, many of these countries face internal problems that need to be addressed first and foremost before any of them can be noted as vacation hot spots.

1. Haiti

Located in the Caribbean, next door to the Dominican Republic, Haiti is anything but a tropical dream. With a history of political violence back to back with devastating earthquakes, storms, and rampant poverty, it's no wonder that it's topped the list.

2. Chad

Located in Central Africa, Chad has been ranked as one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world. It has also been declared a failed state. Chad never had a chance.

3. Burundi

Another notably impoverished country situated in Africa, Burundi is a neighbor of Rwanda and is a battleground to between the well known Tutsi and Hutu conflict, steeped in genocide.

4. Sierra Leone

In West Africa, Sierra Leone is well known as a gold and diamond mine. But beyond the country's riches its history. Particularly, its tragic civil war which just ended in 2002 and left thousands dead. Citizens are still rebuilding in the aftermath.

5. Guinea

Just north of Sierra Leone, Guinea has seen controversy especially concerning its human rights. It was declared as a "partly free" state by a Freedom In The World report in 2012. Yet, occurrences such as female genital mutilation is still widely practiced.

6. Lesotho

A small, landlocked country located near the southern tip of Africa, it is plagued by HIV/AIDS and ravaged once again by extreme poverty.

7. Mauritania

Moving back to West Africa, Mauritania is not a stranger to human rights controversy with human trafficking and police torture just being the tip of the iceberg.

8. Yemen

Moving to the Middle East, there's Yemen, which faces a slew of human rights issues and political corruption.

9. Algeria

With accounts of terrorism and government repression on its rap sheet, this country in Northern Africa has bigger problems to deal with.

10. Madagascar

Last but not least, there is Madagascar. Known for its varied wildlife and beautiful, lush beaches, 70% of its population was known to live below the poverty line in 2009. As in such cases, the people suffer, especially children and women who become more vulnerable to sexual assault.